For diehard ballet lovers, Cincinnati Ballet's "Kaplan New Works Series" has proven a near-perfect way to start the season.

Choreographically, it's always an adventure into the unexpected. Even better, the Cincinnati Ballet's Jarson-Kaplan Performance Studio, where the performances have taken place since 2003, seats just 250 people, meaning audience members are very close to the dancers.

How close? Well, for those in the first row, try a distance of 3 feet – close enough to feel a breeze as a dancer ran past. That's about as intimate as a dance setting can be.

But that is about to change.

When Cincinnati Ballet opens its 51st season Thursday, "New Works" will move from the ballet's Central Parkway home to the Jarson-Kaplan Theater in the Aronoff Center on Walnut Street, Downtown.

Why change a program that patrons adore?

"I guess you'd have to say that the way we used to do 'New Works' made it a victim of its own success," said Victoria Morgan, Cincinnati Ballet's CEO and artistic director. "Because the theater was so small, we regularly sold out and had to turn people away."

No business likes saying "no" to people who want to give them money. And the ballet is no exception.

At the Aronoff, the theater seats 437. That means that the series' new home has nearly 75 percent more seating than the old studio theater. In an age where arts organizations are scrambling to maximize income in every way they can, the additional seats are hugely important.

Another consideration is that Cincinnati Ballet's many other activities – outreach activities and DanceFix (formerly Rhythm & Motion) classes – have grown so popular that the company was having to displace classes to make room for the performances. This will ease the strain on space.

The move will build in some aesthetic improvements, as well, says Morgan. The Performance Studio isn't really a theater, so performing in it was always a bit of a compromise. The lighting capability was sketchy compared to that of the Jarson-Kaplan. And wing space – that area where performers go when they step offstage – is non-existent in the Performance Studio.

"At least a third of the audience in the Studio could see dancers when they were waiting to come onstage," Morgan said. "That draws attention away from the choreography."

The audience won't be the only ones affected.

"At the Kaplan (Performance Studio), you can really feel the audience," said Apprentice dancer Daniel Powers. "It's one of those spaces where you can see almost all of the audience. You can hear them, too, when they react to things even in the smallest way."

It's exhilarating, Powers said. But the intimacy also can be a little daunting. Some dancers, he says, are unnerved by being so close to the audience. For them, the Jarson-Kaplan will provide a bit more distance.

"It's still very intimate," Powers said. "But it's a very, very dark theater. You really can't see anything, which is cool in its own way. Once the stage lights come up, it's as if the dance exists in its own isolated space. You know the audience is there, of course. But it's almost as if the dance exists in a bubble. As a dancer, there's something very freeing about that."

Another difference is the size of the stage. Though there are far more seats at the Jarson-Kaplan Theater, the stage itself is smaller, said production manager Robert Eubanks.

"In the past, we've had dances that had as many as 19 or 20 in the cast," Eubanks said. "That would be too many on this stage. I think the most we have in this show is 11. But because the stage is smaller, I think you'll find that the impact is just as powerful."

Besides, the Jarson-Kaplan was built to house theatrical performances. It allows for more sophisticated lighting. And, if the company ever demands it, for more complex settings.

"I know that some people will miss the old setting," Eubanks said. "There was a certain allure of bringing people into the studio to see a performance. But I think this new setting will have a more professional look to it. And, of course, more people will be able to see the company. That's why we do what we do – so people can see ballet. And the more people who see it, the better it is."

And if audiences find that they don't like the new setting, Morgan says they could move back to the Performance Studio.

"I hope we stay Downtown," Morgan admitted. "And I think our audiences will really like it there. But if not, we can always come back. This is a case where you can come home again."

Email davidlyman@gmail.com.

If you go

What: "The Kaplan New Works Series," featuring choreography by Jennifer Archibald, Heather Britt, Victoria Morgan, Amy Seiwert and William Whitener.